1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a motor vehicle roof with a circular roof opening, a circular disk-shaped cover which is located in the roof opening, and a tilt mechanism for moving the cover between a position which closes the roof opening and a tilt position which creates a ventilation gap at its edge area.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, roof openings which can be closed by means of a cover in motor vehicle roofs have a rectangular shape. However, circular roof openings are also known. In this case, there is a circular, disk-shaped cover to selectively close or at least partially expose the roof opening. For example, published German Patent Application 1 555 871 discloses mounting the circular disk-shaped cover in the vicinity of the edge to be able to swing around an axis which runs perpendicular to the cover plane. The cover can thus swivel, essentially within its plane, laterally and parallel to the roof surface into its open position in order to be able to expose the roof opening without a space requirement above the roof, optionally for passage of individuals and devices.
Published German Patent Application DE OS 34 40 186 discloses a motor vehicle with a semicircular roof opening and a semicircular cover which is pivotally mounted in a circular guide frame, optionally for complete clearance of the roof opening. On the semicircular cover, there is a lifting device which, on the one hand, is used to lift the rear edge of the cover which is in the closed position to be flush with and to engage the motor vehicle roof, and on the other hand, to lower this edge underneath the roof in order to enable rotary motion of the turntable underneath it.
A rotary sunroof is known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,975,048. This rotary sunroof has a circular frame on which a trapezoidal cover is pivotally mounted which either completely closes a trapezoidal roof opening which is located within the circular frame or at least partially clears it. On the inside of the cover there is a handling device by which the trapezoidal cover can be caused to rotate and can be locked in its closed position.
Another motor vehicle roof of the initially mentioned type is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,754,695. The rectangular cover of this motor vehicle roof does not rotate in the circular roof opening but can be pivoted upward at its front edge or rear edge, i.e., front or rear with reference to a forward direction of travel. For this purpose, the bottom of the cover, in the front and rear area, is coupled to levers which have a cam follower at their lower end that fits into a respective cam track of a roof-mounted guide plate which is located underneath the cover running parallel to the cover. By a handle located underneath the guide plate, the guide plate can rotate, moving the cam track such that the circular-disk shaped cover can be raised on one end and at the same time can be lowered on the other end by displacement of the cam followers, and thereby the levers connected thereto.
A primary object of this invention is to devise a motor vehicle of the initially mentioned type which has a cover which can be titled into any rotary position with the aid of simple structural measures.
This object is achieved in accordance with the invention by the cover being arranged, on the one hand, to be able to rotate by preferably 360xc2x0 in the roof opening, and on the other hand, it can be tilted independently of this rotation. In particular, object is achieved by providing a roof frame to which the cover is attached via the actuating mechanism and by rotary bearings of the rotary frame on a circular guide frame which is attached permanently to the roof in the area of the roof opening edge. The cover can be arranged tilted in any position by the combination of the actuating mechanism with a rotary frame and rotary bearing of the rotary frame in a guide frame.
Basically, in an ideal spherical cap shape of the cover, the arrangement in accordance with the invention can be made such that the cover, in any rotational position of the rotary frame, can be tilted with respect to the guide frame between the open and closed positions. Based on the actual shape of the cover, which does not have a spherical cap shape, the cover is locked in a locked position and can only be swung out of it into the ventilation position or lowered from it into the locked position. Furthermore, preferably several rotary positions of the rotary frame, and thus of the cover in the guide frame, are made available by catch and clamp means. One of these rotary positions is provided for more easily finding the locked position, which is preferably located in the back area of the roof opening with respect to a forward direction of travel. The catch means works until the cover has been moved into its raised position by the actuating mechanism. Only here is the catch means released, and thus, enables rotary movement of the rotary frame in the guide frame.
A simple and stable structure of the rotary frame calls for a Y-shaped configuration of this frame, the free ends of the legs of the Y-shaped frame fitting into a guide groove of the guide frame which is preferably formed by a guide frame with a U-shaped cross section. In the case of the Y-shaped rotary frame, the above described catch means is preferably attached to the free end of that leg which comes to rest on the line of symmetry of the two other legs which run in a V-shape relative to one another, and in the area of the free ends of these legs, the cover is connected via pivot bearings to the rotary frame with axes which run parallel to one another and which fix the tilt axis for the cover. The advantage of the Y-shaped rotary frame is moreover that at least one of its three legs always lies in a conveniently accessible area of the driver or passenger in order to turn the circular cover into the desired rotary position.
Advantageously, it is also provided that, on the inside edge of the cover, at least in one partial area of the periphery, there is a wind guide lip which is preferably made arched. The wind guide lip is preferably made in the entire area of the inside edge of the cover.
In the following, the invention is explained in detail using the drawings which show one embodiment of the invention.